An integral part of the Purdue University Research Center in Economics' mission is the training of students in empirical economic methodologies and in applying those methodologies to policy evaluation. The center hosts and funds the following programs.
Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program
Purdue undergraduates who have completed ECON 360 (Econometrics) are invited to apply to the PURCE Undergraduate Research Assistantship (UGRA) program for the 2024-2025 academic year starting on June 1, 2024.
These paid UGRA positions allow students the unique opportunity to work in an engaging, supportive, and interactive learning environment. UGRAs will master the fundamentals of research design while assisting faculty members with ongoing policy-related research tasks such as:
• Reading and summarizing relevant literature
• Locating datasets to answer research questions
• Preparing, managing, and analyzing datasets in Stata or MATLAB
• Translating hypotheses into testable models
• Creating compelling tables and figures
A commitment of 10 work hours per week is expected and preference will be given to students who have had Undergraduate Teaching Assistantship (UGTA) experience within the Daniels School's Economics department. Due to the interactive nature of this program, in-person participation is required and participants must be enrolled in on-campus courses at Purdue’s West Lafayette campus.
UGRA work hours will include:
• Attending mandatory UGRA lunch meetings every Wednesday from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. (lunch is provided)
• Meeting regularly with the student’s assigned UGRA professor
• Meeting regularly with the UGRA program mentor
• Completing assigned research tasks
The PURCE UGRA application for the 2024-2025 academic school year will go live on June 1 and close on June 30. Invitations to participate in the program will be emailed on July 31. Check back here and follow PURCE on Twitter for the application link.
Read a recent feature story about the UGRA program.
Questions? Reach out to purce@purdue.edu.
Economic Scholars ProgramUndergraduate students from across Purdue University are introduced to classical economic literature; best practices for small workshop-style discussions; and how economic theories of the past inform the present through our unique course called the Economic Scholars Program.
The Econ Scholars Program is made possible by generous funding from a PURCE donor.
Students who have completed a principles of economics course are invited to apply for the Econ Scholars Program, with a preference for students who are not economics majors. The selected students complete a one credit hour independent study course in which they complete readings and have a weekly discussion. They are each awarded a $500 scholarship.
Economics Honors Courses
PURCE provides overload teaching payments to fund the teaching of honors courses in economics with a focus on attracting students from other majors. These courses use innovative teaching methods.
PURCE is proud to work closely with the Purdue Center for Economic Education (PCEE).
Since 1966, PCEE has been a national leader in promoting economic literacy. Housed in the Department of Economics, this center shares with PURCE a passion for economics, but one largely focused on K-12 economic education.
The center hosts teacher outreach events on topics ranging from teaching economics using children's literature, creating a classroom mini-economy, and more.
Learn more about this special center.
